[Businessmtg] Membership Involvement

[Betsy C]

I am delighted that this item is on our agenda and I'm hoping for a lively
discussion.

I depend on ASP to help me keep my life in balance.  Since I have health
problems that prevent me from attending F2F meetings, this group is my
Al-Anon lifeline.

I've experimented with service but haven't found a place where I feel
comfortable given my unpredictable health and, yes, I do have my own
personality issues, too.  I know this sounds harsh, but I've never felt
especially welcomed beyond the recovery meeting.

I don't want to get into blame, but I would like to talk about some of the
issues.  The way I see it is that this group has been around a long time
and it's not the same as a typical Al-Anon F2F meeting.  We have dedicated,
faithful members of the Steering Committee who have maintained this group
over decades.  They've seen the technology change as well as our group
itself.  They know what works and what doesn't.  That's wonderful and I'm
so grateful, especially to Steve for doing so much for our group.

My problem is that I have also felt that my thoughts and input haven't
always been welcome.  I wouldn't even bring this up but I look at the lack
of volunteers to serve on the Steering Committee and I wonder if others
haven't felt the same.

I'm hoping that we can brainstorm ways to keep what's good about our group
and still be open to input from potential new members of the Steering
Committee.  The emails to the recovery group about Steering Committee
positions is an excellent start but I believe we need more.

Please, please, say what you think.



-- 
*Betsy C*